Orban and Radicova agree to differ on citizenship

Following the meeting of Hungarian and Slovak PMs yesterday 14 December, the issue of dual citizenship is still a problematic issue, which Slovak PM Iveta Radicova says they have completely different opinion about.

Are the smiles set to fade?

Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán admitted that there was a lack of consensus on certain issues, referring particularly to the situation concerning the ‘dual citizenship’ problem. Orban says they will wait for the revised Slovak law, study it and then take necessary steps.

After taking up power in the summer, Orban introduced a law that allowed ethnic Hungarians in surrounding countries to request also Hungarian citizenship. The previous Slovak government reacted immediately by passing a counteracting law, which would deprive anyone requesting dual citizenship of their right to their Slovak one. This caused many problems for people in other parts of the world who had pending citizenship requests and inflamed relations between Slovakia and Hungary.

The two PMs agreed on some issues, though, such as energy issues and regional co-operation, agreeing to move ahead with the creation of a strategic north-south gas line that will stretch from the Baltic to the Balkans. This will increase the level of energy security for both countries and also for the region.

Radicova said that Slovakia was intent on completing the gas interconnector with Hungary as soon as possible. Then attention will be switched to the connection on the Polish side.